Any discussion of South American wildlife has to start with the Llama and its relatives. Anywhere you travel from the Andes west in South America you’ll discover this uniqu animal.
The llama family, scientifically known as the Camelidae family, includes several notable animals. The principal species is the Llama (Lama glama) and it is found worldwide as a domesticated animal, with its native and traditional range concentrated in the high Andes Mountains of South America with its primary populations found in Peru and Chile. All of the llama family have been used as a source of meat in the Andes for thousands of years with the alpaca (historically classified as Lama pacos, now Vicugna pacos) being primarily raised for its soft fleece.
Llamas in the high Atacama Desert
These animals are especially dapted to high-altitude environments and are known for their unique characteristics, such as their social behavior and ability to thrive in harsh conditions. Wild llamas (or their wild ancestors and counterparts like guanacos in the Andes) are strict herbivores that graze and browse on tough, high-fiber mountain vegetation. They thrive inareas of sparse vegetation having a unique three-compartment stomach and chew cud, allowing them to efficiently break down tough, fibrous, and cellulose-rich plant material that other animals cannot normally digest. Other members of the Llama Family include:
- Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) The Alpaca, a domesticated South American camelid used as a pack animal and for its wool.
- Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Guanaco is smaller than llamas, bred primarily for their soft and luxurious fleece.
- The Vicuna is a wild relative of the llama, found in South America, particularly in Patagonia. The Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) is a wild South American camelid, known for its fine wool, and is notably smaller than the guanaco
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